TiHabanero

4 weeks ago my son purchased a new Caad10 with 105 kit on it. Very excited about his first nice bike that was not a hand me down from his pops.
Within 100 miles he has broken 2 spokes in rear wheel, crank arm fell off, and seat post creaks like crazy.
The bike has been out of service for 3 of the 4 weeks.

This is why the shop you patronize matters most in your buying decision:

First, the wheel is not shops problem, but their service is. Took a week to get it repaired. Not acceptable for a new purchase with warranty claim as simple as this.

The seat post was never greased. The shop put it in dry. Unacceptable.

The crank was never torqued to spec by the shop. They admitted they don't check torque specs on anything, even stems and bars! Irresponsible and could be considered negligent.

You guys, look very closely and carefully at the shop you purchase from!! It ain't about the bike or the price!

zonatandem

Ah yes . . . sounds like W-mart!

stapfam

Not saying your son is the same but I got a mate into cycling 12 years ago- He is heavy and strong. Not much money but got a bike that had good write ups for the frame and price and we expected parts to fail fairly quickly. First to go was the bottom bracket and as they were changing that they suggested that they warrant the crankset aswell and if the difference was paid he could upgrade. Offer taken up as the crankset was a cheap Suntour low end set. OK-Collect in an hour. Next to go was spokes on the wheels. I was with him when three went on one ride and I changed wheels with him over to mine so we could finish the ride. Shop said that they would have to send the wheels back to Giant and as the rep was coming next week- they would loan him a set of wheels on the understanding that he bends them- he buys them. Following week back in the shop to change wheels and they had convinced the rep the wheels were rubbish and got them upgraded F.O.C. Next were forks but we knew they were bad so didn't bother with the shop and were replaced with a pair I had just taken off my bike. Back into the shop a month later and they noticed the change of forks and did I still have the old pair? I had chucked them but they said that they would have changed and upgraded them under warranty IF I still had the old pair.

My mate was 260 lbs at that time and his legs were and still are powerfull. He wrecks anything just by the power he puts in.

9 years after getting the bike and the frame broke. Expected that to happen sooner but being tall and heavy there was a problem finding a frame to stand up to him and to fit him. The shop scoured the internet and their suppliers and found a frame to swop components from the old bike. They did the job and charged him a nominal fee and any new parts fitted were with a good discount.

A shop well worth keeping and I used them till last year when they went downhill fast. I regret losing that shop and I hope they regret losing me as a customer.

Dudelsack 

Wow. When I busted a spoke on my new bike, I took it to my LBS and they fixed it on the spot.

About two years later I took the bike in to get new bar tape (I can do it but it takes me three hours and it looks like crap) and when I returned they mentioned that my wheel rims were bad and they replaced them under warrantee.

I won't mention Bicycle Sport in St. Matthews by name but I've bought five bikes from them and wouldn't hesitate to go N+1 with them again.

Edit - LBSs catch so much grief. I like to put a shout out for the good guys.

CommuteCommando

I won't mention Pacific Coast Cycles in Oceanside either. Took my Trek 7.2 FX to have broken spoke replaced. This was about the sixth broken spoke on this wheel, and he said that it was because the wheel was improperly built with cheap spokes, and offered to rebuild it for $100. I was tired of chasing broken spokes so I took a chance and agreed. That wheel has over 4k miles on it since and has held up fine. The reason I ride a Masi is that's what he sells. That bike has almost 5k, and my 250ish pound carcass has never broken a spoke on it.

berner

I will not mention East Providence Cycle either. No horrific problems that they heroically solved at great cost of time and energy but they are a solid business serving their customers as well as their own interests. Prices are reasonable, they have most of what I need and I trust their recommendations.

aramis

So tighten and/or grease the post and tighten the crank. Takes about 2 minutes with a few hex keys. What's the big deal? My guess is far fewer shops use torque wrenches than you think. They can cause problems as well, including broken/stripped fasteners and threading fwiw.

As for the spokes, that sucks but is your son a huge guy and/or doing stuff like hitting potholes or riding off curbs? It's a lightweight racing bike so it kind of has to be treated that way. FWIW I've never (knock on wood) broken a spoke but I only weigh 160 and try not to hit anything.

Bikey Mikey

My nephew and his two friends are biking the east coast and they had an issue with a bike--a good Samaritan took them to a local bike shop that fixed the problem for free. The owner didn't know who they were but heard what they were doing.

mkane77g

Make the shop that neglected to go over your new bike do this.

Sixty Fiver

Any good shop is going to check the torque specs on every nut and bolt and ensure the wheels were properly tensioned and de-stressed....

The only reason you want people to come back is so they can tell you how awesome their bike is and tip you with a six pack or a bottle of single malt scotch.

Anyone want to front me 2 million dollars so I can open a bigger shop... in your town ?

NOS88

Sometimes knowledgeable service is everything.

tsl

I'll bet your son has a new appreciation for all those smooth-running hand-me-down bikes from pops.

BluesDawg

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Every bike my shop assembles, we stress and true the wheels, making sure the spoke tension is close to even. Likely the broken spokes would not have happened if your shop had done this.

CHAS

Once heard a shop owner where I lived who had worked in a nearby shop say that there was not a torque wrench in any shop in town. He assumed he was speaking in confidence. Have no reason to doubt him.

leob1

Take bike home, put on work stand, 'nut and bolt' it BEFORE the first ride. I'm on the fence about grease on seat posts, I've had issues with them slipping. Not much, but enough to have to stop and readjust mid ride. PIA. My way to tell if a shop is any good is to go in and ask if they have some strange part, like a chain tensioner, os handle bar stem adapter, or noodle, or a trainer skewer. At worst you get a blank look and a "what is that for?". Next is "well, I can order one, be here next week". The best is ök, got that, and that, and that. Anything else?". Guess which one I'll go back to first?

berner

Hats off for random acts of kindness.

gcottay

The OP's experiences can also provide motivation for us to work on our own wrenching skills. Shops should provide good service. Many do. Some are pathetic.

howeeee

I do most of my work, but sometime I just dont have the tools. I happen to know a crummy bike shop that has the best mechanic in the world lol. So if I am stuck on something I go to him and he will fix it or show me how. He is 75 years old,,works about 60 hours a week. Then he gets on his bike and rides home, everyday no matter winter rain or anything, In suburban DETROIT

I wouldnt trust anyother bike shop and actually I dont trust that bike shop lol just the mechanic.

CommuteCommando

I agree. This is something a good shop will be all to happy to help you with. A place I go to makes a lot of his money off of people bringing in crappy big box bikes to get fixed, a lot of them simply for flats. Being a two person operation, he and his wife, and being located on a very popular bike route, means he is often jumping with people waiting. I once stopped in during a ride for something, he was really busy, so asked me if I could put it on the stand for him, Next thing you know he had me wrenching my own bike.

He didn't charge me for service of course, just a fairly reasonable price for the part. I'll take free classes whenever I can get them.

B. Carfree

My favorite shop has two great mechanics (one is the owner), but is a bit capital-poor so they often don't have parts I want and need to order them. I accept this and try to plan ahead. Having a large stock is nice, but for me it is the least important part of a bike shop.

ShootingCoach

If I had not checked out my Cannondale I got from the local REI before riding, I would have crashed it. The brake pads were into the tire. One good tug on a brake lever and I would have hit the pavement. Also, crank loose (threads on drive side stripped), shifters not set, nothing torqued. It was a floor sample, end-of-year model. Seems they robbed parts off it and replaced them well enough to not fall off.

I got a good deal on it, but would never recommend the shop for anything. Prices on accessories were several times what Internet prices are.

love2pedal.com

That is shockingly bad service on a new bike with a problem! Replacing a couple of spokes and retensioning is a 30 minute job max, including the apology to the buyer. If two spokes broke that soon.....probably more will be breaking too. A smart dealer would have replaced all the spokes with a trusted brand name of stainless steel spokes and done a complete rebuild. Regardless, a week wait is ridiculous

I cannot comment on the spokes on this particular bike, but there is a lot of pressure to keep the price down on the bike's components at the factory and skimping on less prominent parts (spokes, headsets, seatposts, bottom brackets, handlebars) is a way manufactures can offer a bike with a higher grade of drivetrain because of the pennies (and dollars) they save on the components buyers never really take into consideration during their purchase.

Duo

Some of the bigger riders probably would be better off with steel touring or cyclocross bikes.

leob1

As much as I hate to resurrect an old thread, this is a horse you can't beat enough.
I'm shopping for new shoes, so I spent my lunch time going to a shop near-ish where I work. I pass it many times, but rarely go in.
But it a pretty big shop, and they sell the brand I was interested in, I figured it would be an easy few minutes and I'd have new shoes. WRONG! The salesperson was an older guy, who had the attitude that he has seen and done everything to do with cycling. He asked what I was looking for, and what I was currently using. When I told him I was using MTB shoes with SPD compatible road specific pedals, he just couldn't understand that road pedals could have SPD cleats. I told them they were pretty old and he just said 'well I never heard of them'. They are still being made, but not the same ones I have, but the same design. OK, got past that, with a little attitude. I then was looking at all the shoes on the shelves, just giving them the once over, and he pointed out the 'road shoes are over here', I can see that, just looking. More attitude. Then he goes right to the top of the line. I pointed out I was more interested in the lower models, just a touch more attitude. Ok moving on, try some on for size, and he insists that I try on a higher level model, ok what the heck. They had a 'boa' cable closure system, that I did not like at all, and I said I prefer the other, cheaper, shoe and told him why. Too much room in the toe. 'Well did you adjust the strap?' Really, you have to ask that. And they just didn't feel like I like at the top of the arch. 'Well, MOST people like them!' More attitude. The last straw was that there were two different looking shoes with the same model name, so I asked what the difference was. He either just didn't know, or had had enough of me, because his answer was 'The color, or whatever they put on there…'. That was that for me on the shoes, I decided to shop elsewhere.
I told him I wanted to look at other options, they only had one brand, before I commit to a long term relationship. He then tried one more hard sell 'You're not going to find a better shoe, not from another brand' I guess he doesn't know that different shoes fit different people better or worse. I may go back, but it will be a while.
Thanks for your time, bye.

John_V 

I can't say enough good about the LBS where I bought my bike from. Besides free derailleur adjustments, I have purchased several chains from them where they put the chain on at no charge and clean the cassette at the same time. I've purchased bar tape and they have wrapped it for me at no charge. They have given me Retul adjustments at no charge and I recently got a new bottom bracket that they installed at half their labor charge. They also cleaned, degreased the drivetrain when they put on the new BB. The employees and I are on first name basis and I have no problem spending money in that shop.